Link To PBWORKS for week 4

Here is the link: http://katieiptspring.pbworks.com/FrontPage

New Tools

I learned alot of new tools this week. Some of them were, google docs, google calanders, pbworks, and the photo editing program on my computer. My favorite one to work with was the photo editing one it was fun to be able to see my photos change and know I was doing it. The hardest one for me was just pbwork in general. It was not being my friend and the pages were only allowing me a little bit of space when the girls I was working with were getting a lot more space on each page so it was really tricky trying to figure out how to get all of my information for each page in that limited space. It also was having problems saving stuff so I had to redo things like 10 times and it was very frustrating. I just think technology does not like me so it gives me a hard time. All of the tools were very helpful and I am glad I was able to learn them because I have already been able to use one for another class! awsome!

SURVEYS

I completed both the ipt survey and the route y survey on Monday June 15th!

Internet Safety Doing Portion

I did the doing portion of the Internet Safety assignment with my little brother that just graduated high school two weeks ago. It was not a hard topic for us to talk about it was really interesting and i think that we both learned a lot form eachother. We both found it very valuable not only because of the information that we were able to discuss but also because we were able to spend that time together learning from eachother. It was really interesting to talk to him about this topic because it is just something we have never discussed before and he had more opinions about the topic then I thought he would. I feel that it was a really positive experience for both of us to talk about. I also think it was good for him because he is preparing to go on a mission and I shared some of the resources I enjoyed with him and he told me that Elder Bednars talk was particularly informative and helpful to him. We talked a lot about how glad he was that our parents kept the computer in an area in the house that was high traffic and how that eliminated any tempting situations. We also talked about how he knows some of his friends thats parents have not taken that precaution and it proved to be a problem. He also talked about how he thinks that things like facebook and myspace are a way for people to falsely protray themselves in a spiritual way. He told me that he thought people tried to be a lot different on the internet and he said it seemed they felt safer to be worse people in a way. I talked to him about how important technology and the internet is but how we need to use it for good. I told him about how slowly it can corrupt your life and you have to fight it every day. Not allowing things to come into your life that are even a little degrading to your spirit because the next time you go to watch something it is not going to seem as bad and it can only go down hill from there. He agreed with me on that one. This assignment made me realize that my little brother is a lot more mature than I thought and it made me realize that he is growing into a strong spirited young man. I loved doing this assignment with him.

Internet Safety Watching Portion

I found the videos from pbs especially helpful while doing the watching part of this video because it put things in perfect perspective for trying to understand where teenagers come from in there relationships with technology and the internet and here is the link to the pbs video. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/view/main.html A very interesting point that this video made was that students are going to use things from the internet and they going to create something of there own from a combination of other peoples works and we need to see that has a positive thing not as a negative thing. The video talked about how having the ability to mold something and change it into something that is going to work for an assignment or something else in there life. We should not think of this as a negative thing we should think of that as an ability and a skill. Another thing this video talked about was how students express themselves through the video. As an adult working with the youth I need to help students find ways of expressing themselves in other ways besides online and I need to make sure I help them find who they are and feel confidant about that so they do not resort to a negative image of themselves on the internet.
While doing this portion it made me sad that my students will have to deal with bullying in a way I never had to: on the internet. That just comes back to the fact that I need to have a postivie atmosphere all the time so that students have a place to come even when they are being bullied. I also need to watch for it as much as possible and do what I can to stop it.

Internet Safety Reading Portion

I read all of the four articles that were required and they were a good reminder of the importance of being careful of what types of media we allow ourselves to watch. For the fifth article I picked "Rated A" by Marvin J. Ashton. An impotant thing I was reminded in this article was the idea that Satan slowly finds his way into our lives through the media and we need to make sure our defense is always up. Brother Ashton commented on a story of a man that was learning about pornography to hopefuly help himself becomes stronger in the fight against it and he ended up becoming addicted to it and losing everything that was oringinally impotant in his life. This article was a good reminder of how important it is to pay attention to how we feel when we are watching tv, reading books or magizines, and using the internet and if there is a spirit among us that is negative to simply get that thing out of our homes so it does not change our hearts.
The things I have read just remind me how important it is to keep a close watch on the media in my own home. To make sure that my computer and television are in high traffic areas where things can be monitored. I also realize from reading these things that you have to be the example to your children and students. I can not expect my children and students to not watch things that are inappropriate if I am watching things that do not bring the right spirit into my life. I have to set the example.
Again I can have a positive example on my friends and family by being the example and being the advocate. I can vow not to watch, listen to or view, anything that is inappropriate. I can also be the advocate. If I see family or friends using media that is harmful to their spirit I can suggest that may not be the most uplifting thing for them to do and I can suggest that there are better ways to spend there time. I can also testify of my belief in the powerful tool of the media and how important it is to use the media for good and not for evil. I can realize how powerful the media is and realize that if someone in my family or one of my friends is having a problem with the media it is not necessarily something the can just change without help. I can be understanding of their struggles and try to help them through it.

TPACK REFLECTION

This technology assignement is gioing to compliment the pedagogy i use very well. I am a firm believer in getting personal with health, making sure that the students feel that they really can apply everything to them directly because health is probably the only school subject my students will think about everyday for the rest of their life. So this project does that very well. The technology which is mypyramid.gov and word documents and e-mail all really help the students see how to make a healthy diet for themselves. This technology will also help the students figure out there personal weight and health goals and it is going to be a lot easier to implement when it is personal than when it is really general like a normal assignment it in a health class would be.